Cait thought about what Fiona had said on her drive back into Grace's Cove. She'd lived with hiding her gift for so long that it felt weird to consider using it in a different capacity.

They say the early teenage years are the most awkward for children and Cait's hadn't been any different, she thought. The ability to read people's minds had just about sent Cait screaming for the hills. It was like she had a front-row seat to every crush, break-up, and fight that her friends at school were involved in. As if being a teenager wasn't difficult enough, having to try and act normal when she could read what people were thinking about her had caused Cait more than her fair share of problems.

Cait thought of her mother and shook her head. The few times she had tried to approach Sarah about what was going on, her mother had made the sign of the cross and had started whispering "Hail Marys" as she rocked her chair in front of her favorite TV shows.

Cait's relationship with her mother was a complicated one. Growing up in Ireland meant that family came first. But, because her only family was a mother that barely acknowledged her, it had really felt like Cait was raising herself.

Sarah rarely made time for Cait. What with her mother working double shifts at the market and catching up on her favorite television shows, Cait had usually eaten her dinners alone, often not speaking with her mother for days at a time. By the time Cait was fifteen, they saw each other as infrequently as possible. The times they did speak generally erupted into bitter feuds.

It had soon become known around Grace's Cove that Cait was at a loss for familial support. Gradually, the invitations to dinner at her friends' houses increased and the families of Grace's Cove shifted to include her as one of their own. Cait’s roots were entwined as much with the families of this town as they were with the blood that ran in the cove.

Cait thought back to those awkward, agonizing years. She almost saw those years through a lens of burning shame. Shame that she couldn't understand why she could hear people's thoughts. Shame from having a mother that wanted little to do with her. And, guilt at not being good enough for her mother. Cait excelled in school and had constantly tried to talk to her mother about her aspirations after school. She was met with a cold wall of silence.

Until Fiona.

Fiona had all but plucked Cait from the streets of Grace's Cove and spent the weekends putting her to work around her house. Slowly, as they had built a relationship, Cait had opened up to Fiona. It had only taken a few shaky conversations before Fiona had told Cait what she was, and in doing so, pulled Cait back from the brink and saved her from losing herself.

Once Fiona had taught Cait to shield herself from others' thoughts, Cait had been able to walk easily among the other students. She dated, made new friends, lost friends, and did all the normal things that a teenage girl did.

Though, there were those few times. Cait laughed up at herself in the rearview mirror. Once she'd gotten used to her ability, she'd had a few moments where she used it to get the upper hand in a situation. She still remembered the horrified look on one teacher's face when she tried to force the whole class to stay after school for being rowdy until Cait had cornered the teacher and threatened to tell everyone about her crush on the local doctor. The class had gotten to go home and the teacher had stayed far away from Cait after that.

Cait had moved out of her mother's apartment as soon as school was finished. She'd worked two jobs to make the rent, but her freedom had been priceless. Her relationship with her mother had deteriorated even further. Yet, a part of Cait still hoped for something more. She dutifully brought her mother food each week and tried to stop by for tea as her schedule permitted. The visits were usually short.

And then. That day. The day her future had become glaringly clear to her.

Cait pictured the For Sale sign on the front of Murphy's Pub. It had been the talk of the town as Murphy's Pub had held the title of longest-running pub in Grace's Cove.

Cait could see her hands trembling as she gripped the folder of papers for her loan documents from the bank. It had seemed like forever as the banker had pored over each and every detail of her documents. Finally, he had looked up and smiled at her.

"This is an excellent business plan. I agree, adding a kitchen and food will do well for the pub. I look forward to you serving me your first pint," he'd said, and laughed as Cait jumped up and ran around the desk to hug him. Finally, something of her own.

From that day on, she'd never looked back. She ate, slept, and breathed the pub and shielding her ability had become even more important. Though, Cait found that most people would end up telling their secrets after a few pints anyway, but she still did her best not to let her ability impact what she was creating for herself.

Cait smiled as she thought about the little nest egg that she'd been slowly building over the last three years. In a few years, she'd own the pub outright.

And her mother? Well, she'd just have to accept that this was what Cait wanted to do with her life. Though Cait held little hope that Sarah would come to see her side of things, she still tried.

Releasing a long breath, Cait drove her car into downtown and pushed thoughts of the past out of her head. Today would be a new way to use her gift and hopefully it would make up for the ways she had used it in the past.